Broom and process of making same



Oct. 131927. R A MAR 1,644,738

BROOM AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Original Filed'Oot '18, 1922 PatentedGet. 11, 1927.

tnnran stares ttea738 ROBERT A. MARR, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

BROOM AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

Application filed October; 18, 1922, Serial No.'595,316. Renewed March10, 1927.

This invention relates to brooms, and has special reference to animproved broom and method of manufacturing the same.

In the construction of brooms experience has shown that these articles,especially when used in wet or damp places, rapidly deteriorate.Experience has also shown that the ordinary broom straw is incapable ofthe hard use that certain fibers such as split cane and bamboo and thelike are capable of sustaining. Furthermore, such fibers have been foundto rapidly become saturated with water when used in damp or wet places,and in consequence of this saturation their elasticity is destroyed andthe broom quickly becomes useless.

One important object of the invention is the manufacture of a broom fromfibers impregnated with a waterproofing compound which prevents themfrom soaking up the.

water and thus causes them to retain their elasticity and shape as wellas adding. a cer tain stiffness to these fibers.

In the manufacture of brooms from fibers, as well as from broom straw,it has been necessary to employ means which are more or less complicatedto efiect the formation of the broom heads properly.

A second important object of the present invention is to provide animproved method of. manufacturing broom heads from fibers. A thirdimportant object of the present invention is to provide an improvedbroom head which may be readily attached to and detached from the broomhandle thus mak ing it possible to replace the head alone without thenecessity of buying at the same time a new handle.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafterapparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and r Fig. 1 shows a bundle of fibers readyfor forming into the broom head; s

2 shows the fibers spread ready for the first trimming;

Fig. 3 shows the bundle as it appears after the first trimming;

Fig. 4 showsthe bundle in the step in the manufacture wherein the fibersare caused to adhere to each other;

Fig. 5 shows the appearance of the bundle h after the second trimmingoperation;

Fig. 6 shows the appearance of the bundle after a certain slottingoperation; v

Fig. 7 shows an edge view of two such bundles assembled with theirreenforcing plate; I

Fig. 8 shows a side view of the complete head with its sewing;

1Fig. 9 is a detail View of the reenforcing p ate;

FiglO is a perspective view ofthe complete broom;

Fig. 11 is a view of a portion of the handle suitable for use with sucha broom.

In carrying out the invention it'is preferred that the fibers be firstof all treated with suitable waterproofing which is .of such nature thatit will penetrate into the fibers and thus thoroughly impregnate them,as experience has shown that more oiling or greasing of the fibers onthe exterior is ineffective for the purpose. A

compound,

bundle of the fibers'are then taken suflicient to form one half of thebroom head, the size of the bundle depending on the size of the broom tobe made. in Fig. 1. This bundle is then'spread and flattened so that thefibers cross each other intermediate their ends, and there is formed afiat X-shaped bundle such as is shown in Fig. 2, the bundle of fibers inall instances being indicated at 10. By the use of a suitable trimmingdevice, this bundle of fibers is now out along the lines 11 ofFig. 2, sothat there results therefrom a bundle shaped as in Fig. 3. This bundlemay be held, if desired, in a suitable clamp, and is inverted and dippedin a tank or vat 12-containing Such a bundle is shown hot glue or someother suitable binder which will harden and hold the apical portion ofthe triangular After the binder has hardened, the end of the bundle maybe trimmed along the line l313 of Fig. 5, and then a slot 14, as shownin Fig. 6, is made in this apical portion of the bundle. Two suchbundles are used to form the complete broom, and these bundles areassembled on opposite sides of a substantial triangular reenforcingplate 1'5, having suitable bolt receiving openings 16 therein forthereception of bolts 17 passing through cover plates 18, there being onebundle to ether ri idl b g y plate on each side of the complete head,these plates cover the slots 14 so that a handle receiving socket isthereby formed. After the two bundles are assembled on opposite sides ofthe plate 15, the broom head is stitched as at 19 with spaced stitchingsso that after the broom has become worn to .a certain extent, the low-erstitching may be cut oil' and still leave the remainder of the broomsuitable for use. lVhen the two bundles are thus stitched together, thedevice forms a detachable broom head, and in order to provide for'use ofthe same, it is preferred that the handle 20 have a slot 21 to receivethe plate 15, and that bolts 22 pass through'this handle and throughopenings 23 in the plate 15.

It will beseen that this method of manufacture is extremely simple, andthat when thus made a very economical broom head is produced. It isobvious that the fibers may either be all of substantially the samecross sectional dimensions or some of the fibers may be of greater crosssectional dimensions than others, for instance, the inside fibers may beheavy and stiff, while the outside maybe thin and light. In any event,the

'method of manufacture and the result in product is substantially thesame.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. Those steps in the broom heads which consist in assembling a bundleof fibers, spreading the ends of the fibers to form a fiat X-shapedbundle, trimming the spread bundle by cutting on each side thereofparallel to the outermost fibers whereby to leave a flat triangularbundle, and treating the apical portion of the triangular bundle with abinder.

2. Those steps in the manufacture of broom heads which consist inassembling a cal portion perpendicularly to the broom end.

3. Those steps in the inanm cture of broom heads which consistassen'ibling a bundle of fibers, spreading the ends of the fibers toform a flat X-shaped bundle, trimming the spread bundle by cutting oneach' side thereoi parallel to the outermost fibers whereby to leave afiat triangular bundle, treating the apical portion of the triangularbundle with a binder, slotting said apical portion perpendicularly tothe broom end, assembling two of such bundles on opposite sides of areinforcing plate, and securing the bundles together. 7

4. A broom head comprising a'pair of flattened somewhat fan-shapedbundles of fibrous material of the nature of water proofed stilt fibers,on opposite sides of a perforated rigid plate, the l'lttliOV. portion ofeach of said bundles beingheld together by a hardened binding material,and said narrow DOIlLlOIl havin a cut out notch-adapted b .L

to receive the end of a broom stick, stitchin across said bundlesintermediate the ends or' the fibers, beyond said rigid perforatedplate, such stitching being suiiicient to prevent undue spreading of Vthe loose ends of the fibers, said perforated plate having perforationstherein adapted to receive fastening means passing through correspondingperforations in the broom stick, near the end thereof.

In testimony whereof I my signature.

' ROBERT A. MARK.

